E. Stroudsburg Council Member Plans To Resign

Ann Atwell, an East Stroudsburg Borough Council member for the past 10 years, last night resigned effective March 1.

Mrs. Atwell said she was resigning for "personal reasons." She said she does not have the "time to do what I would like to do."

She was appointed to fill the two-year, unexpired term of George Eppley and then successfully ran for two four-year terms.

Council members agreed it had been a pleasure to work with Atwell over the years and said her presence will be greatly missed.

Council will appoint a successor, whose term will expire at the end of this year.

In other business, an engineering services agreement with Betz, Converse, Murdoch, Inc., for $60,600 was approved by council. Under the agreement, the engineering firm will prepare the specifications for infiltration/inflow reduction work to be undertaken by the Southeast Municipal Sewer Authority.

Bids for the first phase, television monitoring, will be opened March 6 at Stroudsburg Municipal Building. The work will be part of an estimated $254,000 project. The borough will provide its share of $117,900 in order to be eligible for a federal funding of $136,400.

The borough dropped out of the regional sewer project of the sewer authority. However, under the negotiated terms, the borough remains eligible for the federal funding on its part of the infiltration and inflow reduction work.

Council authorized RKR/Hess Associates, Stroudsburg, to proceed with the design of an emergency spillway for the Middle Reservoir at a cost not to exceed $3,750.

A water rate increase was approved. The average household will receive a quarterly rate increase from $10.20 to $12.50. The additional revenue will be used for capital improvements. With the rate increase, nancial responsibility for installing and maintaining service lines to curb lines, a cost previously assessed to property owners.

Council adopted an ordinance regulating private automatic alarms. The regulation sets fees for registration of alarm systems. New connections will have a fee of $25 and all existing systems will be assessed $10. The ordinance also provides for fines for malfunctioningalarm systems under a nuisance clause if an alarms sounds in excess of three times per month because of malfunction.

Council gave a conditional approval to participate in the Monroe County General Authority's waste-to-energy solid waste project. Included in the agreement approved by council is that a $17.50 tipping fee per ton will be charged at the incinerator and that the proposed facility is in operation on Jan. 1, 1987, when the borough's current garbage collection contract will expire.

The agreement is contingent upon the approval of borough solicitor Robert Williamson.

Council approved the proposed right-of-way for the Mary Street extension, involving seven properties. The borough plans to ordain the street, which will be widened from 10 to 20 feet and paved. Ordaining is necessary for the borough to receive state funding for the repaving.

Andrew Farris presented council with a number of documents in a continuation of his opposition to the county incinerator site in Stroud Township.